Heraclitus was a pre-Socratic Greek philosopher who lived around 500 BC. He is best known for his philosophy of change, where he argued that everything is in a constant state of flux and nothing is permanent. He is also famous for his cryptic sayings, such as "No man ever steps in the same river twice" and "The only thing that is constant is change."
What is the most famous quote by Heraclitus ?
There is nothing permanent except change.
— Heraclitus
What can you learn from Heraclitus (Life Lessons)
- Heraclitus taught that change is the only constant in life, and that we must accept and embrace change in order to live a fulfilling life.
- He also believed that we should strive to understand the interconnectedness of all things, and that we should strive to find balance in life.
- Lastly, Heraclitus taught that we should strive to be mindful of our actions and words, as they can have a lasting impact on the world around us.
The most colorful Heraclitus quotes that are simple and will have a huge impact on you
Following is a list of the best quotes, including various Heraclitus inspirational quotes, and other famous sayings by Heraclitus.
The content of your character is your choice.
Day by day, what you choose, what you think and what you do is who you become.
Big results require big ambitions.
No man steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man.
No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man.
There is nothing permanent except change.
Change alone is unchanging.
Dogs bark at what they don't understand.
Day by day, what you do is who you become.
What is divine escapes men's notice because of their incredulity.
Everything flows and nothing abides; everything gives way and nothing stays fixed... Cool things become warm, the warm grows cool; the moist dries, the parched becomes moist... It is in changing that things find repose.
Flux quotes by Heraclitus
Those who approach life like a child playing a game, moving and pushing pieces, possess the power of kings.
We have to be faster in calming down a resentment than putting out a fire, because the consequences of the first are infinitely more dangerous than the results of the last; fire ends burning down some houses at the most, while the resentment can cause cruel wars, with the ruin and total destruction of nations.
A man's character is his fate.
Those who love wisdom must investigate many things
A hidden connection is stronger than an obvious one.
Man is most nearly himself when he achieves the seriousness of a child at play.
The most beautiful ape is ugly when compared to a human. The wisest human will seem like an ape when compared to a god with respect to wisdom, beauty, and everything else.
It is hard to contend against one's heart's desire; for whatever it wishes to have it buys at the cost of soul.
Quotations by Heraclitus that are paradox and change
If you do not expect the unexpected, you will not recognize it when it arrives.
You cannot step into the same river twice.
Eyes and ears are poor witnesses to people if they have uncultured souls.
The best of men choose one thing in preference to all else, immortal glory in preference to mortal good; whereas the masses simply glut themselves like cattle.
The sun is new each day.
It is better to hide ignorance, but it is hard to do this when we relax over wine.
To get everything you want is not a good thing. Disease makes health seem sweet. Hunger leads to the appreciation of being full-fed. Tiredness creates the enjoyment of resting
If you do not hope, you will not win that which is not hoped for, since it is unattainable and inaccessible.
Presumption must be quenched even more than a fire.
The wise is one only. It is unwilling and willing to be called by the name of Zeus.
There is nothing permanent except change. [Therefore enjoy what good you have while you have it and endure and outlast what bad you can't cure immediately]
The unlike is joined together, and from differences results the most beautiful harmony.
Immortal mortals, mortal immortals, one living the others death and dying the others life.
Even a soul submerged in sleep is hard at work and helps make something of the world.
Abundance of knowledge does not teach men to be wise.
Couples are wholes and not wholes, what agrees disagrees, the concordant is discordant. From all things one and from one all things.
Opposition brings concord. Out of discord comes the fairest harmony.
Eyes are more accurate witnesses than ears.
Everything flows, nothing stays still.
No one that encounters prosperity does not also encounter danger.
History is a child building a sand-castle by the sea, and that child is the whole majesty of man's power in the world.
Under the comb, the tangle and the straight path are the same.
The world is nothing but a great desire to live and a great dissatisfaction with living.
Because it is so unbelievable, the Truth often escapes being known.
If we do not expect the unexpected, we will never find it.
Our envy always lasts longer than the happiness of those we envy.
Much learning does not teach understanding.
It would not be better if things happened to men just as they wish.
Justice will overtake fabricators of lies and false witnesses.
Nothing endures but change. There is nothing permanent except change. All is flux, nothing stays still.
From out of all the many particulars comes oneness, and out of oneness come all the many particulars.
To do the same thing over and over again is not only boredom: it is to be controlled by rather than to control what you do.
The best people renounce all for one goal, the eternal fame of mortals; but most people stuff themselves like cattle.